Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	earthly_a	heaven_n	heavenly_a	5,897	5	7.6367	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17384	A commentary: or, sermons vpon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter vvherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of diuinity largely discussed. By Nicholas Byfield, late preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1623 (1623)	STC 4211; ESTC S107078	497,216	958

are his sheepe Zach. 11.7 such as heare his voice and depend onely vpon it and will follow Christ Iohn 10.3 4 5 27. Lastly wee may hence gather how wofull the estate of such people is as either haue no shepheards or euill shepheards set ouer them Zach. 11.4 5. Ezech. 34.4 And Bishop of your soules The godly haue Christ to bee the Bishop of their soules That this point may be more distinctly and profitably conceiued of I would consider of foure things in the explication of it First the vse of the tearme Bishop heere giuen to Christ It was before the Apostles time a foren word much vsed in prophane writers For the originall word heere rendred a Bishop was a tearme giuen to watch-men and spies and ouer-seers of works and sometimes to any sort of Rulers In the Apostles time it seemes the tearme was impropriated and giuen onely to Ministers that had charge of soules For the Apostles appointing certaine men to looke to the bodies of Christians which they tearmed Deacons they appointed other eminent men to looke to the soules of Christians whom they tearmed Bishops as appeares Phi. 1.1 Acts 20.28 In the time of the Apostles the tearme suffered yet a more strict impropriation and was giuen to some especiall Ministers that had Charge not onely of the people but also of the Clergy and in time in some Churches vnto these choice men of the Ministery were added the titles of Barons iurisdiction and power of censures sole power of ordination and the like In this place the Apostle giues the tearme of Bishop to Christ as the first and principall Ouerseer of our soules to whom the charge of their originall doth belong Secondly we must note that Christ is not said to be a Bishop of our soules but The Bishop of our soules which imports that hee is such a Bishop as there is no other like vnto him That charge that Christ hath of our soules hee hath it alone There is no Bishop like to Christ our Bishop for 1. There is no good Bishop but hee For he died for the soules hee hath charge of and so doe not other Bishops and whereas other Bishops may bee vnrebukeable in respect of men sometimes he is vnrebukeable in respect of God and men too neuer any Bishop liued so well or did so much good or loued good men and promoted Gods cause so much as Hee 2. No other Bishop can instruct the flock as hee doth For hee can make his people profit because hee teacheth inwardly whereas they can teach onely outwardly and hee instructs all his flock and makes them all to knowe God from the greatest to the lowest of them which no other Bishop can doe 3. Hee is the onely Bishop because all other Bishops must giue accounts to him 1. Pet. 5.3 4. Hee is the vniuersall Bishop of all soules other Bishops haue their particular Charges or Churches but he hath the charge of all the flocks vnder heauen All Parishes are within his Charge 5. All other Bishops haue their ordination from him they haue no authority but what they receiue from him Acts 20.28 6. Because no other Bishop can take the absolute charge of our soules they are not able to keepe vs our soules haue many diseases which they cannot cure and are assaulted with many aduersaries which they cannot resist c. 7. Because he is a heauenly Bishop they are but earthly and diuers parts of his office hee executes in heauen whereas other Bishops can doe nothing for vs but on earth 8. Because hee is the onely Law-maker the onely Law-giuer to our soules other Bishops can make no lawes but by his authority Iam. 4.11 9. Because the other Bishops may require goodnes in their flocks but cannot make them good hee can make all his people righteous hee is the Lord and their very righteousnes Iere. 23.6 10. Other Bishops die and leaue their flocks vnprouided but he liues euer neuer forsakes his Church but is with them to the end of the world Thirdly who are the charge of Christ Not all that are found in the Charges of other Bishops hee will not stand to our diuision of Parishes he counts by Election and righteousnes All that the Father hath giuen him are his Charge and none else The coherence shewes they are onely penitent sinners Fourthly the happines of such as are vnder his charge which must needs be great O! it is a great comfort to a poor sinner to knowe that Christ hath a Charge of his soule for he shall be sure that Christ will feed his soule and nourish it vp by his Ordinances and will keep him to eternall life and vse him with all tendernesse and compassion A bruized Reed hee will not break and the smoking Flax he will not quench The particulars are metaphorically handled before in the consideration of the benefits wee receiue from Christ as a Shepheard Vses The vses follow and so First for information and so first wee may heer take occasion to think of the preciousnesse of our soules for as they are made of better stuffe than all this visible world being spirits and were redeemed with a greater price than would haue been laid down to redeem this whole world so it heer appeareth because God sets his owne Sonne to tend our soules which should make vs make more reckoning of them and not be so carelesse of them It were an ill bargain To winne the whole world and lose our owne soules Secondly in that he takes Charge of our soules it imports that his Kingdome is not of this world and that he leaueth our bodies and outward estates to the charge of the Kings and Rulers of the earth hee claimes himself chiefly the Charge of our soules Thirdly in spirituall things it is imported that we are to be subiected to such as haue the ouer-sight of vs onely so farre forth as they command vs in the Lord and not otherwise Other Bishops haue their power subordinate to Christ and must in all things see to it that they doo nothing against Christ. Wee are subiect first and originally to Christ the Charge of our soules properly belongs vnto him Fourthly we may heer see what need our soules haue of looking to if they were not in great danger and subiect to many diseases and necessities Christ had neuer taken such a peculiar Charge of them Fiftly it imports the abiect estate of all grosse offenders for if Christ bee the Bishop of soules they cannot belong to his charge For wise and godly men as much as lieth in them cast out notorious offenders and protest against them and therefore will Christ much more cast off and refuse all such seruants of the diuell and the world and Antichrist as will not beare his yoke Sixtly it imports that all Bishops must haue ordination from him and therfore such as cannot shew their calling from Iesus Christ are plants which he will root out Secondly for consolation to

suffring But committed himself to him that iudgeth righteously From these words diuers things may bee obserued Doct. 1. First that in case of wrongs from other men it is not alwaies needfull or conuenient to complain to the Magistrate for redresse Christ heer commits his cause to God but complaineth not nay though hee were wronged almost continually and with grieuous wrongs yet we read not that euer he complained against them that did him wrong Heer two things are to be enquired after First in what cases it is not fit to complaine to men Secondly in what cases it may bee lawfull and fitte In these cases following it is not fit to complain to the Magistrate First where redresse of the wrongs may be had by priuate and peacefull courses 1. Cor. 6. Secondly where the lawes of men doo not prouide punishment some wrongs are offenses and yet not punishable by mens lawes Thirdly where the offense is committed of meere frailty or ignorance Fourthly where the offense is grounded vpon meer surmises which in the iudgement of charity ought not to be conceiued .1 Cor. 13. Fiftly where the iniury is lesse and the party trespassing doth acknowledge the wrong in this case the rule of Christ holds If thy brother say It repenteth me thou must forgiue him Luke 17.4 Sixtly where by the suite Religion wil receiue greater dammage by the scandall then the party suffers by the wrong as in the case of the Corinthians where a brother went to law with a brother before Iudges that were Infidels Seuenthly where the Magistrates haue declared themselues to bee enemies to iustice and iust men as heer in the case of Christ it was bootlesse to complain because all the Rulers were his professed enemies Contrariwise in these and such like cases following men may lawfully seek iustice from men in authority First where the offense is grieuous and against the Lawes of God and men Secondly where the offender persists in euill-doing without repentance Thirdly where the offense is against God and Religion as well as against the party wronged Fourthly where such wrongs are vsually punishable Fiftly where the party complaining is bound to complain by his office either by charge or oath prouided that the party complaining first loue his enemies and secondly prosecute with continuall respect to God's glory and thirdly vse the benefit of the Law with charity and mercy without cruelty or extremity Thus of the first doctrine Doct. 2. The malice of wicked men against the godly is so great that when they begin to oppose them though it be but in their name they will neuer cease opposition if they haue power till they haue their liues too Thus I gather from hence that our Sauiour beeing reuiled doth not onely commit his cause to God but commits himself to God as expecting the increase of their oppositions till they haue put him to death This is the reason why God indites euery man that hates his brother of murder 1. Iohn 3.15 And Dauid so often complaines of his enemies that slandred him that they also sought his life yea his soule as if they were desirous not onely to kill his body but damne his soule also Doct. 3. Wee may heer also note that God is to be conceiued of according to the occasion seeing we cannot comprehend God wholly as he is wee ought to raise vp such conceptions in our hearts of the glory of God as may with honour answer the occasion that presently concernes vs as heer in the case of wrongs God is conceiued as a righteous Iudge In the case of death hee is called The God of the spirits of all flesh In the case of prayer he is called a God that delighteth to hear prayer in the case of infirmities a God that takes away iniquity and passeth by transgression and in cases of great difficulty he is conceiued of as Almighty and so forth Doct. 4. It is euident from hence that God is a Iudge and this point is both terrible to the wicked and comfortable to the godly It is terrible to the wicked many waies First because he is Iudge of all the world all must be iudged by him Gen. 18.25 Heb. 12.23 1. Sam. 2.10 Hee is not a Iudge of some one circuit as Iudges amongst men are Secondly because he is a Iudge that needs no euidence bee brought-in for hee knowes all causes and is witnes himself Ier. 29.23 and so Iudges among men are not Thirdly because hee iudgeth for all offenses he tries the hearts and the reines as well as the words and works of men Psalm 7.9 11. Earthly Iudges try malefactors but in one or some few cases Fourthly because hee hath Armies of Executioners he can call to the heauens or speak to the earth and haue hostes of seruants to doo his will and execute his iudgements Daniel 7.9 10. Psalm 50.4 22. so as none can deliuer out of his hands Fiftly because hee is Iudge himself Psa. 50.6 and 75.8 He doth not do iustice by Deputies but will hear all cases himself Sixtly because his iudgement is the last and highest iudgement and therefore there lieth no appeale from it Seuenthly because he can bring men to iudgement without any warning hee standeth before the doore and often seizeth vpon the offender without seruing any Writ or giuing him any summons Iames 5.9 And therefore wicked men do very foolishly that ruffle heer in the world and lift vp their horns so high and speak with such a stiffe neck and walk on in their sinnes and iniuries so securely Psalm 75.5 6 7 8. Again if God bee Iudge it is comfortable to penitent sinners First because repentance will alter the iudgement if it be after the fact and before the Sentence euen in such offenses as deserue euerlasting death as appeareth in the case of Dauid and the Niniuites and is notified to the world Acts 17.31 Whereas earthly Iudges must proceed in their iudgement whether the parties bee penitent or no. Again it is the more comfortable that God is Iudge because all parties wronged or grieued may haue accesse to God and put vp their supplications at any time he is ready to be found and willing to heare which is seldome true of earthly Iudges Thirdly because godly men know their sentence already God hath acquitted them by his Word and by his Son and by his Spirit and therefore they need not feare his last iudgement Doct. 5. God will iudge righteously God's iudgement is a most righteous iudgement Psal. 9.8 Rom. 2.5 2. Tim. 4.8 He is the righteous Iudge by an excellency because there is no Iudge but misseth it some way onely God's iudgment is alwaies righteous and it must needes bee so for many reasons First because hee iudgeth the high as well as the low Iob 21.22 Secondly because his iudgement extendeth to euery offender in the world Iude 15. Earthly Iudges may punish some malefactors but they leaue thousands of men that

affections vpon riches pleasures and fauour of men Some of them haue made their belly their god and some haue giuen their bodies to harlots Thirdly in opposing Gods glory they haue likewise offended grieuously they haue spoken euill of the good way of God they haue abused his seruants and so despised him they haue set themselues against his Sabbaths c. To omit that they haue opposed Gods glory in their hearts by setting vp Idols there and by allowing and striuing to maintaine Atheisticall conceits against God The second vse should be therefore to beget in vs a care to vse all meanes to dispose of and fit our selues that we might make God glorious and so amend and redresse our wayes herein and that we may the more effectually be wrought vpon herein I will consider of two things First I will briefly shew the reasons should stirre vs to all possible care and diligence heerin Secondly I would shew how we may distinctly attain to the glorifying of God in all the three waies before mentioned For the first Diuerse considerations should moue vs to the care of magnifying or glorifying of God by all the waies we can First it is a great honour that God doth vnto vs to account himself to receiue glory any way from our endeauours Shall the creature bee admitted in any sense to that glory to make his Creator to make him I say in his excellency or glory God doth account himself to receiue a new Being as it were by those inward conceptions of his glory and by those outward honours done vnto him Shall the King of glory vouchsafe to dwell in our hearts and shall we not be exceedingly desirous to entertain him Secondly Not to glorifie God is to sinne grieuously it is not arbitrarie but most dangerous to allow our selues either in inward neglects of God or in outward vnfruitfulnesse Shall wee attribute so much euery day to the creatures we deal with and shall we knowe or acknowledge so little of the Creator It cannot be safe to slight God Thirdly it is one of the first things that breaks out in the new Conuerts so soone as any of the Gentils are visited of God in the same day they glorifie him by conceiuing gloriously of him and by magnifying God in himselfe and his seruants and seruice c. And therefore without singular danger of losing our euidence of our calling wee must attend to this Doctrine how hard soeuer it seeme Fourthly wee are bought with a price and are God's and therefore now both in soule and body wee should be wholy deuoted to his glorie 1. Cor. 6. vlt. As God hath glorified vs in our creation and the many treasures hee hath giuen vs in Iesus Christ and wee hope the accomplishment of matchlesse glorie in heauen and shall we not bee zealous for the glorie of the Lord Many glorious things bee spoken of vs through his grace and shall wee thinke or speake meanely of God Fiftly the Lord our God exceedes all things in glorie and therefore we should extoll his praise aboue the heauens and the whole earth should shewe it selfe to be full of his glorie Sixtly he is our heauenly Father and can wee thinke too well of him or doe too much to winne him praise Mat. 5.16 Lastly thinke with our selues What make wee in Gods Vineyard or Orchard If wee be trees of his planting ought wee not to bee filled with the fruits of righteousnes that the Lord may bee glorified Esay 61.3 Thus of some motiues The maine care should bee to learne what to doo that GOD might bee made glorious by vs and so wee should distinctly consider how to make him glorious in our selues or in others In our selues wee should learne how to make him glorious first in our hearts by a glorious conception of him in our minds secondly in our words and works by acknowledgement The first question then is What should we doe that we might conceiue more gloriously of God For answer hereunto we must looke to our hearts in diuers particulars for that wee may conceiue of God according to his excellency we must proceed by these degrees 1. Wee must striue to bring God into our minds for naturally wee liue without God and wee may obserue that at the best we are wonderfull prone to forget God and therefore wee must learne how to bring our hearts to the meditation of God For not to think of God or forget him is a grieuous offence aswell as to think of him after a base manner 2. It is not enough to bring God into our thoughts but we must then bee wonderfull carefull that wee bring not in an Idole of our owne forming in stead of God wee must learne how to think of God as hee is described to vs in his Word for fearefull Idolatrie may bee committed in the heart of a man as well as in his outward adoration and therefore wee must learne soundly to conceiue aright of the nature of God 3. When we haue God there in his owne likenes we must inlarge his roome in our hearts For the true knowledge of God comes in but by sparkles and God will bee magnified Wee must make him great and inlarge the thoughts of God when wee conceiue of him This is that that is so often required in Scripture vnder the terme of magnifying God 4. When wee haue attained to this to thinke of God with an abilitie to make him great in our hearts then wee must yet proceed to the establishment of this conception of GOD for else the thoughts of God will passe thorow our heads like lightning and be gone and therefore we must be carefull to establish the thoughts of God in vs. 5. We must then labour to cloath the thoughts of God with glorie and maiesty this is that which is heere intended wee must not onely make him in our hearts and nourish the sparkles of his knowledge but wee must make him glorious also 6. Yea yet farther when God is conceiued of according to his excellencie we must loue the Lord thus conceiued of our hearts must cleaue vnto him esteeme him aboue all things So that heer are six distinct things to be heeded of such as will conceiue of God aright Now how these things may bee attained to by vs followeth to bee considered of Now for the first to bring God into our minds two things are of excellent vse First the inforcing of our selues to consider of Gods works and so to striue still to read in that great booke of the Creatures Secondly the exercising our selues daily in the Word of God Without these two helps carefully vsed experience shewes that GOD neuer comes into mens thoughts And by the way heere may be framed an answer to that sorrowfull complaint of many Christians that they cannot meditate Now if they would bee taught to meditate or would at any time haue their thoght set a work let them lay before them either of these bookes

obtaine any particular suite from him nor can the King prouide for them in particular yet may they goe to God and Iesus Christ who is King of righteousnes and peace they may get great suites in heauen and shall bee prouided for in all needfull things Psalme 23.1 and 5.3 and 48.15 and 74.12 and 80.2 Esay 49.10 Mat. 2.6 Reuel 7.17 Lastly though they bee subiects now in respect of earthly Princes yet in respect of God they are anointed to bee Kings themselues and shall receiue a Kingdome better then all the Kingdomes of the earth The Princes of this world are but mortall Kings but euery godly man is a King immortall hee partakes the title of God himselfe God is a King immortal by nature and he is a King immortall by adoption and grace and besides the poorest subiect that is a true Christian intertaineth the King of glory euery day Psal. 24.7 9. As superior 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifieth one that hath aboue the hauings of other men and so the King hath more then all his subiects not onely in matter of maintenance but also in matter of authority and supremacy this his hauing in supremacy is heere meant That the King is supreme is so manifest by this text as it needs no proofe Princes are called therfore in the Old Testament Heads of the Tribes or of the people to signifie that they were not onely higher in place but had soueraigne and supreme authority ouer all the people This supremacy of Kings giues them authority in all causes both ecclesiasticall and ciuill and ouer all persons Churchm-en as well as Lay-men as hath beene proued at large before in the former parts of this verse The vse is therefore to confute the damnable pleadings of the Popes of Rome their adherents that claime to haue the right of supremacy aboue the Kings and Princes of the world There are diuers manifest arguments to ouerthrowe the supremacy of the Pope First this expresse text that acknowledgeth the King to bee superior this was the Doctrine in the Apostles times Secondly it is more to be noted that Peter himselfe who by the opinion of the Papists had the height of place in the church that euen Peter I say is so far from clayming this to himselfe that hee directs christians to acknowledge supremacy only as the right of Kings yea and flatly forbids dominion in the Clergy 1. Pet. 5.5 Thirdly our Sauiour Christ at large beates downe this primacy or supremacy in his Apostles and all churchmen shewing that they had not authority as the Kings of the earth had It must not bee so with them and much lesse had they authority ouer the Kings of the earth Mathew 20.25 Luke 22 25. Fourthly euery soule must bee subiect to the higher powers If euery soule then Churchmen if they haue soules must bee subiect and therefore may not rule Rom. 13.1 Fiftly Christ and the Apostles neuer claymed any such supremacy but shewed the contrary by their Doctrine and practice Sixtly it is made the expresse mark of that Man of sinne that he lifts vp himselfe aboue all that is called God that is aboue Magistrates 2. Thes. 2. This hath beene the constant Doctrine of the ancient Fathers Origen Homil. 7. in Isaiah saith Hee that is called to a Bishoprick is not called to principality but to the seruice of the Church Tertullian lib. ad Scapul saith We reuerence the Emperor as a man second to God and the onely one that is lesse then God and also Tertullian de Ido Capite 18. Nazianzen orat ad subdit et Imperat. All men must bee subiect to higher powers The expresse testimonies of Chrysostome and Bernard vpon Rom. 13. haue beene quoted before read Bernard de consid lib. 2. Capite 4. Hilar. ad Anx. Chrysost. homil 42. in Ioan Ambrose in 2. Tim. 2.4 Secondly this should confirme euery good subiect to acknowledge and maintaine the Kings supremacy and willingly to bind himselfe therevnto by oath For the oath of supremacy is the bond of this subiection and this oath men must take without equiuocation mentall euasion or secret reseruation yea it should bind in them the same resolution was in Saint Barnard who saith thus If all the world would conspire against mee to make mee complot any thing against the Kings Maiesty yet I would feare God and not dare to offend the King ordained of God Or vnto gouernours By gouernours he either meanes all other sorts of magistracy besides a Monarchy or else such Magistrates as in a Kingdome haue commission from the King to heare and determine causes or any way to rule and exercise any Lawes of the King and it is the Apostles meaning that Christians should bee subiect to all sorts of Magistrates of what forme or dignity soeuer from the highest to the lowest so as it should bee no more lawfull for them to disobey an inferior Magistrate then to disobey the King so far foorth as the inferior Magistrate hath authority and doth proceed according to his commission in lawfull things This point needes not to bee further handled hauing beene intreated of in the generall doctrine in submission to all Magistrates before And thus of the exposition the confirmation followes Verse 14. Or vnto gouernours as vnto them that are sent by him for the punishment of euill doers and for the praise of them that doe well THe Apostle in this verse and the next confirmeth the exhortation partly by reasons and partly by answering an Obiection the reasons are in this verse and the next and the prolepsis verse 16. The reasons may bee referred to two heads the one taken from the calling of Magistrates verse 14. and the other from the will of God verse 15. The calling of Magistrates is considered two waies First either in the author of it and so they are sent of God Secondly or in respect of the end of it which is partly the punishment of the wicked and partly the praise of them that doe well As they that are sent of him Of him either may be referred to the King or to the Lord If it bee referred to the King then it shewes that all inferior Magistrates receiue all their authority from the King they haue no more authority then other subiects but as it is bestowed vpon them by the King and withall it shewes a secret in all well gouerned Monarchies which is that the King reserues the giuing of honours and offices to himselfe which more obligeth the Vnder-officers and Magistrates to him and he is therby the better acquainted with the State of the Kingdome but I am rather of the minde of those Interpreters that refer it to the Lord. And so the sense and doctrine is that both the Kings and the gouernours are sent of God It is God that prefers them whatsoeuer the second causes bee Though election or succession seeme to make a King and Kings make gouernours yet haue wee beene taught that none of